The Corpse Bride is Alive- Love Never Dies
by thisishowyouaxolotl
Summary: Emily was supposed to be at peace, but when she rematerializes in the real world she isn't even dead. Alive and confused, she tries to make her way living in the real world 2016. She has had enough of men, but the men haven't had enough of her! Can she find true love/ Is that why she was brought here?
1. Beating Heart

_**The Corpse Bride Sequel**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Emily or her back story from the Corpse Bride_

**Chapter One**

The bright white light died down, leaving my eyes blinking at the change. I felt strange, different, I didn't know why. Was this what being free felt like? It was different to what I imagined. I glanced at my skin, something was wrong, it looked wrong; it felt wrong, it was wrong. It was soft, yet it had a quality about it that I had never seen. Suddenly I noticed white moths landing on me, entranced, I lifted one up to look at it, instead of flying away, the moth spread its wings flat against my skin and sunk into my skin, like a strange tattoo before fading to a pale ivory. I looked to the rest of my body; the skin had that same strange quality, as if it was too defined. And then I noticed the flesh on my leg and arm had returned, I grabbed my leg in wonder, and as my hair spilled forward, I saw that it was a warm chestnut brown. The same colour it was before I died. I felt my ribs; the gaping hole had disappeared, as had the gnash on my left cheek. Only then did I look at my surroundings, forest, forest and more forest, starlight leaking through the dark branches like molten silver. I pulled myself to my feet wobbly, before falling to my hands. And then I felt something. Pain. I stared in wonder at the crimson liquid seeping from my palm. No, it couldn't be. Quivering, I pressed my hand to my chest. And then I felt it. A heart beat. I was alive.

Clutching a tree trunk, I screamed. This wasn't meant to happen. I was meant to pass on, to be at peace. My nails clawed grooves into the bark, I couldn't think, this was all too much. Sobbing, I ran though the trees, not caring when branches sliced my skin, stopping only when I tripped over. The smell of damp earth and rotting leaves filled my nose, I was tired, so tired, and cold, my thoughts were blurring, along with my vision. Cold drops of rain slid down the curve of my wrist before returning to the damp earth. Why did they send me back? Hadn't I paid enough? My heart had been broken one too many times. As I began to lose consciousness, the last thing I saw before the darkness took me was a bright light streaming through the undergrowth and two strong arms pulling me close...


	2. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the Corpse Bride_**

**_a/n: I'm sorry I didn't update, I was trying to piece this together but I just kept deleting it because I decided, slow good writing, is better than fast crappy writing. When I start to get into the story and finish introductions and all that jazz I will try to update waaaaay more frequently, but I'm moving to another country. AGAIN. So I cannot make any promises. If you genuinely like my story then I am sorry because I know how irritating the wait is and if you don't well sorry if I sound stupid thinking you'd care anyway, back to the story. super short though. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!_**

_Darkness. And cold. Never ending trees. The sound of the ocean. Butterflies, pale as starlight. I follow them through the trees. Their tiny beating wings leading me on, leading me to him. I stop. There he is. The boy, who both broke my heart, and healed it. Victor. I touch his face, he must have died, to meet me here. I feel his chest, his heart still beats. But then if he is alive, then how am I here? He is staring at me as if he has seen a ghost, and he has, perhaps. I open my mouth to tell him I am alive, but no words come out. Strange. But then again, I am not alive anymore. But why is he here, if he isn't dead? He breathes my name, delicate as wings, and I smile. But he looks terrified. "What are you doing here?" He whispered. "When you turned into butterflies I thought you had moved on! What are you doing in the land of the living!" Land of the Living? What was Victor talking about? I had died again last night, unless... oh no. Suddenly I felt the land shake like a snowglobe, and I fell to the ground, able to speak again, I cried out for help.. He ran forward and grabbed my hand. I held on tightly as the unseen force shook me. My hand was slipping and the band of gold on Victor's fragile hand slid off just before my hand did and I was yanked into the dark cloud, his name still on my lips._


	3. New Hearts

This is where the typical author puts a disclaimer, but seeing as this is **fanfiction**, I'd say that's a disclaimer in itself. My life is pretty shitty right now so writing takes ages when I do get time to actually write- you know family stuff and high school stuff interfering. I apologise for this.

Ps. I realise that my tense in this story is all kinds of fucked up, but it sounds weird when I stick to one tense. In my mind anyway.

Pps. I know this chapter will have a lot of just 'stuff' in it. But this is the whole, setting the scene chapter you know, not too much dialogue yet. But don't worry- it'll come.

I felt my bones jar as my body flung itself forward out of the darkness and into a… bed? Its frame was a sturdy metal painted a peeling white, flakes of paint curling away like a dying insect. My blanket was flat and heavy. I could tell it used to be white like the bed, but age had taken its toll, and the fabric had gone yellow like tea-stains. I tried to sit up. Suddenly I was aware of every injury I had inflicted on myself last night. Last night. Once again, I lifted a quivering hand to my chest only to find flesh and skin, as smooth and white as ivory. My hands still felt deathly cold. If I'm here, was Victor a dream then? It must have been. I pulled the covers away to assess my injuries. Bruises blossomed all over my arms, and I could feel the nasty sting of a thousand small cuts on my face and arms. My veil was all but ruined- torn to tatters by the thorns I had struggled through before collapsing, before… I froze. Through all the shock and pain, I hadn't even thought about where I was or who it was who had picked me up last night. Cautiously, I lifted my feet out of the bed onto the cold hardwood floor- they too, were spotted with bruises and old blood. I crept across the strangely bare room to the only door- a big old wooden thing with a doorknob that looked like it was about to fall off any second. Just as I was about to grasp the knob, it turned suddenly and began to rattle violently. I quickly scanned the room for something to defend myself with, finding nothing, I jumped under the covers and rolled over, pretending to be asleep. The doorknob continued to make rattling noises behind me, and I heard a quick stream of curses before a loud thump and the door crashed open. I heard soft footsteps and two voices murmuring to each other quietly. One belonged to man, or a boy was more likely- he sounded young, worried. The other belonged to woman; calm, confident and motherly. I strained my ears, trying to hear what they were saying- the woman's voice rose above the boy's, cutting him off, "Relax Kai, I checked on her half an hour ago- all her vitals are normal. I don't think she OD'd- she probably just took too much." The boy, Kai, was silent for a moment before speaking, his volume matching the woman's, "You sure it's drugs? I didn't see any needle marks, only bruises." Now that I could hear him clearly, I was surprised at his voice. It was soft and lilting, though not at all feminine. "Might have been her first time, or maybe she's on pills. I don't know Kai! Unless she ran away that's the only explanation I have for any of this." Kai was silent again, "Should we try and wake her? If someone was trying to hurt her we need to take her to the police." I let all the new information wash through me. These people probably didn't want to hurt me- guilty people don't involve themselves with the police, but what were they talking about drugs for? Why would I have needle marks if someone gave me poison? Poison came from plants! Not from thin sticks of metal or bone. I was confused. Before I had time to ponder my decision, I lifted myself out from under the yellowing colours and turned myself to look at the pair. The boy's face was pale, like the moonlight that I always loved. His cheekbones were high and defined, and gave me the impression of a faery. His eyes were the colour of molten silver, framed by long lashes as dark as the messy mop of hair that covered his forehead, sticking out at odd angles. He was tall and lanky, like he hadn't quite filled out yet, backing my guess that he was only young- 17 at most. The woman was the complete opposite. Her face was round, sparkling blue eyes peering out from rosy cheeks. Her light brown hair pulled back into a tight bun, with not a hair out of place. While Kai was tall and lanky, the woman was short and plump, similar to Victor's mother. The pair both wore the strangest of clothes- Kai was dressed all in black, crumpled pants beneath a long sleeved shirt, made from a soft looking material. The woman was dressed similarly, though her pants were an odd blue, and her shirt was as pink as a wildflower. The woman wore makeup, I noticed, marking her as a noble. That was odd. Usually only poor people would help someone on the street- nobles had neither the desire nor the compassion. The woman stared before leaping into action, and bustled towards me at a frightening speed. Kai started to walk over too, but the woman snapped at him that 'he better make himself scarce'. Kai rolled his eyes, an extremely rude gesture towards a senior, and loped out of the room, shutting the door behind himself. When he was gone, the woman pulled a chair up to my bed and paused. "What's your name child?" I went to speak, but the noises that erupted from my mouth scraped like the mortar and pestle the family doctor used to grind herbs. The woman, offered me water in a glass, and I drank greedily, wincing at my lack of manners. This time when I spoke, I managed to answer her albeit hoarsely, "Emily. My name is Emily Carter." Unlike most nobles, she looked unsurprised at my last name. My father's perfume shipping may have bought us riches and fine titles, but it couldn't give me the respect all the old money had. "Well Emily, my name is Miss. Carthright. Do you have any family Emily?" Though it had happened after I died, I still felt the pain as if I were still there, "No. Plague took my mother and father- I never had siblings." A strange look contorted her face, before she pulled it back into a cheerful mask, "Plague did you say? Do you mean they got the flu or something- the flu was pretty severe this year?" Flu? What is was she talking about? "No Miss, the plague that swept through Britain about 5 years ago, remember?" There was that odd look again, "Of course Emily, how could I forget. Honey… can you tell me why you were unconscious in a forest?" I could feel her studying my face, gauging my reaction to the question. I couldn't very well tell her that I had risen from the dead- that would just get me a straightjacket. So I decided to lie. "I don't rightly know Miss. Carthright. All I remember is waking up in the forest and then being here." Her warm eyes searched mine- I knew she knew I was lying. However, she simply smiled, "Well Emily, that's okay if you don't want to tell me- I won't involve the police. But if you want to stay here, I'm going to have to lay down some rules. So, are you going to stay?" I thought about my options. I couldn't go back to Victor- he was with Victoria now. I couldn't find my way by myself- most 17 year old girls were married by now with husbands to support them- I just couldn't do it. If I got a job here, I wouldn't have to become a nun, dedicating my life to someone who didn't exist. I made my decision. "Yes Miss. Carthright, I would be forever in your debt if you let me stay. I could work as a maid or a tutor if you have children. That's if you don't mind a woman teaching your children. "She looked baffled before laughing so hard her eyes disappeared beneath her rosy cheeks. "Upon my soul child- how old are you? I'd say you're much rather suited to school than to working. Besides- everyone helps out around here, we don't hire maids." Her reaction confused me almost as much as the words. "But Miss, I'm already 17!" Her grin broadened, "That's plenty young enough to be in school missy. In my house, we complete school- no year 10 drop outs! Now come on! Let's get you out of those rags and into something clean!" She grabbed my hand, exclaimed "dearie, you're cold as ice!", apologising when she touched the tender skin and led me through the door, opening the broken knob without any struggle unlike Kai. The walls were painted a rich green, which suited the dark wooden floors. She led me down the dim hallway and into a white tiled room with a big white tub made of what appeared to be ceramic rather than the metal I was used to. As she ran water into the bath from pipes in the wall, I stripped myself of the dress and veil I had worn solid for 10 years. It was a strange thing. This dress was both a relic of my mother's, and a reminder of the day I was murdered by a man I thought loved me- though my body had healed, the fabric of my wedding dress, or more accurately, my shroud, was still torn where Barkis had run me through with the long dagger he kept in his coat- the dagger that had destroyed countless hearts before mine. I was still staring at the dress when Miss. Carthright snatched it from the floor, tutting at the torn material and gave me a gentle push towards the steaming bath. I waited for her to leave before lowering myself into the hot water, gasping at the sensation I had not felt for a decade, warmth that soaked into my bones, leaving me relaxed and happy. I found an odd flask that read, 'Body Wash', and assumed that meant soap, lathering the strange-smelling liquid over my body. The water rapidly turned a murky grey and when I was sure I was clean, I wrapped a towel around myself and emptied the bath. Disgusted, I rinsed the sludge that had settled along the bottom just in time before Miss. Carthright burst through the door and placed some clothes on a small table, proclaiming how 'they might be big since you're so small but until we can go shopping they'll have to do!', and bustled out a quickly as she had entered. I quickly changed into the clothes she had left me, a pair of soft baggy grey pants, like what a farm boy would wear except with rich material, and a massive, bright red, long sleeved shirt with a riding hood made out of the same material. The clothes were comfortable, but I felt uneasy wearing the clothes of a man. A pair of thick socks came with the outfit, but I waited until I left the room before putting them on, as she hadn't given me shoes to protect them from the wet floor. When I got to the hallway, I looked down the direction we had come from, only to find no one waited for me. I turned around and screamed when I saw a dark figure stalking towards me from the shadows. I fell to the ground sobbing, scrambling backwards until my back hit the trunk of a tree. Twigs sliced my flesh as Barkis raised his hand, the blade glinting in the moon's icy light as he brought the knife down "Please don't kill, take my jewels. Please don't kill me, take m-" , "Hey, hey! It's alright I'm not going to hurt you! It's me! I'm the one who found you in the forest remember?" His panicked tone pulled me back, and the hallucination slowly faded. "K-Kai?" He began patting my shoulder awkwardly, "That's my name. I also answer to handsome, cutey and dashing". I laughed- a strangled noise that made me cringe. He pulled me gently to my feet, "Bloody hell, your hands are cold as death itself!" I smirkd inwardly at the cruel irony. He smiled, a crooked sweet smile, the kind of smile that would have made my heart miss a beat. Not anymore. "You alright? Do you want me to call Nancy? She's better at getting the girls settled." I put two and two together and assumed by Nancy he meant Miss. Carthright. As much as she made me feel at ease, I felt embarrassed at the thought of calling her for such a trivial reason, "No, I'm fine… Is there anyway I have to go or…" He laughed at my uneasy manner, "Well if you're hungry I can get you dinner… which is kinda why I came, but then you freaked out and, well you know the rest." As he spoke in that odd way of his, I realised I was famished, "I feel like I haven't eaten in ten years", he grinned again. Very smiley, this lad. Barkis was smiley as well. "Me too." I offered a wry smile. He had no idea.

After I had shovelled down the eggs and toast in the most un-lady like manner possible, earning more than a few laughs from Kai, he showed me to my room, which I was to share with three other girls around my age. He leant against the frame of the door for a moment, earning some appreciative glances from two of the girls, and a scathing glare from the one studying in the corner, "Well, goodnight then Emily. You girls be nice to her!" He winked mischievously and ducked out of the room. I walked over to my bed, which was situated next to the window, and having nothing to put away, sat down on the soft covers. For a moment I listened in to the other girl's conversation, but only hearing talk of boys, I quickly tuned out. I wanted nothing to do with that right now. Instead I drew the curtains and looked out at the view and stopped short. I was in Lainsborough, I knew it from the ocean. The same ocean I had gazed at every night before my murder, shining under tonight's full moon. But the small fishing town I once knew was completely and utterly gone. The lights from thousands of houses twinkled in the darkness like fireflies in a meadow, replacing what once was the impenetrable darkness of the forest. Not including cities like London, this was the largest collection of buildings in one place I had ever seen. A harsh wind rattled eerily through the bare branches outside my window, like death's whisperings. How long had I been gone? I felt like I was in the Inbetween for only a second before returning. Victor might be an old man by now… Had 60 years passed? Or more? Was he dead? The mere thought felt like my heart was being crushed. Just because I couldn't have him, doesn't mean I don't still love him. I turned around to look at my room companions. The two girls were talking loudly and giggling, nudging each other rather violently. I cleared my throat, but before I could say anything, the girl with the messy black hair glanced up and launched into action. "Hi I'm Sam, 17, dad used to hit me." She gestured to the small blonde wraith next to her, "This is Bethany, 16, orphaned. And that grouch-", she jerked her thumb at the studying girl, "-is Amrit, 17, dumped at a train station when she was 6. What about you? I'm guessing… drugs?" I was so taken aback by her abrupt statement, that for a moment I was speechless. I don't know why everyone kept thinking it was drugs, but I guess that's the easiest story to go along with, "Yeah… they found me unconscious." The girl nodded as if this was rather significant, "I did drugs too, until I got away from my dad. It gets better", she smiled sympathetically. Unsure of how to respond, I decided to get straight to the question that had seared itself into my mind, "Um, how long ago was 1763?" She stared before bursting into raucous laughter, "Well that came out of nowhere, honestly, I wouldn't know- ask that brainiac." Amrit turned around, and I saw that her skin was brown like the southerners that sometimes traded in our little port. She was beautiful, in an exotic way which was completely at odds with her blank expression, "1763 was about 253 years ago" she said bluntly, and turned back to her studies immediately. My stomach dropped. Victor was definitely dead, which meant last night _was _a dream. Is also meant that it was 2016.

*A rude interruption form the author* Yes I know it's boring and lame and the ending is abrupt, but I've worked a plot out and this is how I have to start. (it's hard stuff writing!)

_._


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